


Therapy

by All_for_the_andreil



Series: Wholesome twinyards [5]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Andrew Minyard Has Feelings, Angst with a Happy Ending, Betsy’s a good therapist in this one, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, M/M, POV Andrew Minyard, Soft Boys, Therapy, Trauma, Wholesome Twinyards, tw: mentions of Andrew’s past
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:15:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27133735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/All_for_the_andreil/pseuds/All_for_the_andreil
Summary: Betsy suggests Andrew and Aaron take Katelyn and Neil with them on their next therapy session. Chaos ensues.-or-Aaron finds out Andrew went to juvie because of him.
Relationships: Andrew Minyard & Aaron Minyard, Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Series: Wholesome twinyards [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1981907
Comments: 5
Kudos: 474





	Therapy

Watching Aaron choke on his tea during their therapy session would normally be quite amusing to Andrew, but now he can’t feel anything but sympathy. He himself also almost chokes on his own hot chocolate. 

“What?” Aaron says, his voice hoarse from coughing up the tea. 

Betsy doesn’t seem to mind their unhappy reaction. “All I’m saying is that it could be helpful to have both Neil and Katelyn here for the next session.” 

Andrew is sure Neil will be more than excited about that. He hates therapy and he hates Betsy and most of all, he hates Aaron. 

“I don’t want Katelyn in the same room as him,” Aaron announces, gesturing to Andrew. 

Andrew just rolls his eyes at that. He sincerely doesn’t care about Aaron’s stupid girlfriend. He’s sure he has made his point with her before. 

“This is supposed to be a safe space, Aaron,” Betsy reminds him softly. 

Andrew pointedly doesn’t snort. 

“I just want you to think about it. Maybe ask Neil and Katelyn what their thoughts are as well,” Betsy continues. 

Andrew already knows what Neil’s thoughts are going to be. He’ll think this is one big bullshit, but he still nods, for Bee’s sake. 

Aaron still looks like he hates everybody and everything around, but in the end nods as well and with that the session is over. 

“Bee said I should ask you to come to the next session,” Andrew mentions to Neil that evening when they’re sitting on the roof. 

Neil looks up to him in surprise. “Oh?” 

“Aaron’s bringing Katelyn,” Andrew says with a shrug, studying Neil’s face. He reacted exactly as Andrew anticipated. 

“You don’t have to,” he adds to Neil, when he sees his hesitant expression. 

Neil takes Andrew’s cigarette from between his fingers and takes a drag. Andrew watches as it illuminates his face in the dark. “You think it’s a good idea?” Neil asks then. 

“Bee thinks it is.” 

“And you trust her.” There’s no judgment behind the words. It’s just a statement. 

Andrew hums in agreement. 

“Okay. I’ll go.” 

Andrew nods. He suspects it’s going to be a shit storm anyway, but he’s willing to give it a go. He takes the cigarette back from Neil and stubs it on the concrete. “Yes or no?” 

Neil grins and leans to him on instant. “It’s always yes with you,” he replies slyly. 

“Shut up,” Andrew mumbles and kisses him silent. 

The drive from the court to the session is very quiet. Aaron’s sitting in the backseat, eyeing Neil with his usual mixture of mistrust and anger. He opened his mouth several times, but Andrew always caught his eyes in rearview mirror and Aaron always stayed silent. In the end Andrew just cranked up the radio to fill in the silence and to make it clear he’s not going to listen to whatever Aaron has to say. 

Betsy gives them an approving smile when the three of them walk into her office. 

“Katelyn has class, but she should be here soon,” Aaron announces instead of greeting and slumps into one of the armchair. 

Andrew rolls his eyes at that and sits on his regular spot on the couch. Neil eyes the couch bit suspiciously, but when he meets Andrew’s unimpressed gaze, he sits down next to him, offering him a small smile. Andrew sees Aaron out of the corner of his eyes, pretending to throw up. He pointedly ignores it.

Bee starts making hot chocolate for herself and Andrew and tea for Aaron after Neil unsurprisingly declines her offer. Andrew doesn’t have to be a genius to tell Neil’s uncomfortable already and he has to suppress the urge to take his hand to calm him down.

“So, Neil,” Betsy starts when she sits opposite of them. “I haven’t seen you for a while. How have you been?”

Neil occupies himself by picking at a loose threat on his sweater and doesn’t meet Bee’s eyes. “Fine.”

Aaron snorts and Andrew glowers at him. They are already off to a great start.

Neil narrows his eyes at Aaron. “Problem?”

“Not just one,” Aaron sneers, his tone vicious.

Neil smirks. “Poor you.”

Aaron looks like he’s on a good way to pour his hot tea onto Neil. Andrew begins to wonder if he’ll have to use his knives.

Betsy stays her usual calm self despite the clear tension in the room. “Well. Why don’t we just tackle the obvious elephant in the room? Aaron, why don’t you try to tell us what seems the be the core of the problem you have with Neil?”

“Jesus, isn’t that obvious?” Aaron hisses. “He just waltzed into our lives, turned everything upside down and everyone pretends like it’s all great.”

“By everyone you mean literally everyone or Andrew?” Bee asks.

Aaron makes a frustrated sound. “I don’t know. Both.”

“So your problem is that Andrew didn’t kick me out of his life?” Neil sneers.

Aaron frowns at him. “No. My problem is that he keeps picking you over his family,” he hisses.

Neil groans. “Oh, for fuck’s sake, could you stop being such a selfish ungrateful asshole for five goddamn seconds? Andrew has done so many things for you!”

“Like what? Killing my mother?” Aaron suggests mockingly.

“Like getting himself locked up in a fucking juvie!”

Well. That effectively shuts Aaron up. “What?” He asks quietly, looking between Neil and Andrew.

Neil raises an eyebrow, finally realizing what happened. He turns to Andrew and asks in low russian. “You didn’t tell him?”

Andrew doesn’t think all hot chocolate in the world could help with this. “There wasn’t a reason,” he answers Neil.

“Oh. Sorry.”

Andrew rolls his eyes. “Shut up.”

“Andrew. What is he talking about?” Aaron asks, gripping at the mug in his hand so tightly his knuckles go white.

The last thing Andrew wants is to talk about this. “Doesn’t matter.”

“No, it clearly does. Tell me.”

“Andrew, it seems important both to Neil and to your brother,” Betsy adds as well.

Andrew hates this. He shouldn’t’ve agreed to this. But he guesses now it’s too late to just walk out. He sighs and sips the hot chocolate.

“I wanted to stay with Cass,” he says at last. The name tastes bittersweet in his mouth. “She wanted to adopt me.”

“But Drake –” Aaron starts, but Andrew doesn’t let him finish the sentence.

“Drake was annoying but it wasn’t a problem. Not until you showed up anyway.”

Aaron’s staring at him in awe. “What the fuck. Wasn’t a problem? Andrew, he was –”

“I fucking _know_ , okay?” Andrew hisses. “But it didn’t matter. This was my best hope for a family.”

He hates the pitying expression on Aaron’s face. He knows it’s there even without looking up at him. He hates it so much. He grits his teeth and forces himself to continue. “But then you came along. And Drake was so _excited_. So eager to meet you.” He shakes his head, disgusted by the mere thought. “I couldn’t let him get to you.”

When he gazes at Aaron, he finds him gawking back in utter shock, mouth slightly open, unable to formulate any words and for the first time in forever Andrew doesn’t know how he’ll react.

Aaron reacts in his usual style. He sets the tea on the coffee table with too much force, spilling it a bit, gets up, announcing: “I need some air,” and walking out without looking back at any of them.

For a while they are all silent. Then Neil shifts. “Does this means it’s over?” He asks, surprisingly casual.

Betsy opens her mouth, but Andrew’s faster. “Yes. Let’s go.” He’s not in a mood to talk about anything else right now.

Bee accepts that without problem and lets them leave and Neil looks rather relieved once they are out of her office. He follows Andrew to the car in silence but keeps throwing these careful glances at him that make Andrew want to stab him.

“What, Josten?”

Neil squirms under his glare. “I genuinely thought he knew. I wouldn’t tell him otherwise.”

Andrew nods sharply. “I know.”

The rest of the afternoon is quiet. Andrew drives them back to the fox tower, Neil produces Andrew’s favorite ice-cream and they don’t talk about what happened. Andrew’s fine with that.

The hope that evening will maybe turn out idle and calm and Andrew won’t feel like yeeting himself from the roof is promptly ruined when someone knocks on their dorm door, Neil goes to answer and comes back with Aaron tailing behind him.

“Can we talk?” Aaron asks. The only consolation is that he looks as uncomfortable as Andrew feels.

Andrew doesn’t fail to notice Neil lingering with them, waiting for Andrew’s reaction, clearly ready to throw Aaron out if Andrew decides not to go through with this now. But the second Andrew nods, Neil tactically says he’ll be in the bedroom, getting out of their way.

“Why didn’t you tell me that sooner?” Is how Aaron decides to open the conversation. He stands opposite to Andrew, crossing his arms over his chest, his expression unreadable.

Andrew sighs. “It wouldn’t made a difference.”

He frowns. “That’s not for you to decide.”

Andrew just shrugs. “I told you from the start I’d protect you. It’s not my fault you didn’t believe me.”

“I never said I don’t believe you.”

“Why did you look so surprised when _she_ died, then?” Andrew sneers.

Aaron blinks in surprise. “Jesus, Andrew. That was different. It was… a lot,” he says. “And it wasn’t just her. You ended up in a hospital. They weren’t sure if you’d make it.”

Andrew pointedly doesn’t reply.

“Were you sure you’ll survive the crash?”

He wasn’t. “It wasn’t relevant.”

“Of course it fucking was!” Aaron yells.

Andrew ignores how frustrated Aaron sounds. “You’d be safe. I’d keep my promise.”

“I don’t care about the stupid deal, Andrew. Do you think I stayed with you because I wanted a protector? I wanted the same thing as you. A family.” He lets out a nervous laughter. “Maybe Josten’s right and I am an ungrateful asshole.”

“Don’t let him hear you or you’ll never hear the end of it,” Andrew advices him, trying to make it sound casual, not like he’s shocked Aaron just admitted Neil had true.

Aaron snorts. “Right.” And then after a pause, he adds quiet: “Thank you.”

“Don’t cry.”

He chuckles. “I’m not crying, idiot.” He gives Andrew a suspicious look. “Can I hug you or is that too much?”

Andrew considers that for few seconds. Letting someone who isn’t Neil touch him doesn’t sound like something he’d enjoy. But he still nods. “Make it quick.”

At least Aaron has the decency to listen and their hug is very business-like.

“Dobson’s going to make us to this again, isn’t she? Session with Katelyn and Josten?” Aaron asks then.

“Very likely,” Andrew agrees.

Aaron rolls his eyes. “Great.” But Andrew can tell he’s not really that annoyed.

**Author's Note:**

> I live for the twinyards  
> Thanks for reading 😌


End file.
